Affinity Publisher from a game controller
The Affinity Publisher layout is built into InputConfig, free on the Mac App Store. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon.
On a Mac: Affinity Publisher reads these keys like a keyboard. The rows start from Affinity Photo's tool set, so two tool rows need Publisher's own keys.
Yes, Affinity Publisher works from a game controller on a Mac, and the navigation half of this layout is right for it as shipped: undo and redo on the bumpers, fit and 100 percent on the stick clicks. The tool rows come from Affinity Photo, so give two of them Publisher's frame tools and it becomes a layout deck.
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Tools from Photo. Move (V), Paint Brush (B), Erase (E) and Crop (C) on the face buttons, Clone Brush (S) on Start, the Zoom tool (Z) on Back, Share or View.
- Undo and redo. On the left and right bumpers.
- Frame the page. Fit (Command 0) on the left stick click, 100 percent (Command 1) on the right.
- Point and click. The left stick is the pointer, the right stick scrolls, the right trigger clicks, the left trigger holds Option.
Make it a Publisher layout
- You: Click Edit and change the outputs of the Paint Brush and Erase rows to T and F, Publisher's Frame Text and Picture Frame tools. Save.
- InputConfig: Sends T and F from those two face buttons.
- Check: Press each with a document open and watch the tool in Publisher's Tools panel change.
Two rows changed, and the deck is Publisher's.
Tune it
- Pages. Put Page Up and Page Down on D-pad up and down, which this layout leaves free.
- Text frame handles. A lower Pointer speed on the preset's page makes small handles easier to grab.
Keep the navigation rows as they are, because they suit every Affinity app.
Get it in two clicks
- Get InputConfig free on the Mac App Store, open it, and click Smart Preset Maker on the welcome screen.
- Search for Affinity Publisher and pick it. The layout is created as a preset in your sidebar, named and ready.
- Press Activate. Every row can be changed afterwards: the editor's Scan button rebinds any control the moment you touch it.
Every binding, as a table
| Controller | Sends | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| A / Cross | V | Move tool (V) |
| B / Circle | B | Paint Brush tool (B) |
| X / Square | E | Erase tool (E) |
| Y / Triangle | C | Crop tool (C) |
| LB / L1 | Command (Left), Z | Undo (Cmd+Z) |
| RB / R1 | Command (Left), Shift (Left), Z | Redo (Cmd+Shift+Z) |
| Start / Options | S | Clone Brush tool (S) |
| Back / Share / Select | Z | Zoom tool (Z) |
| L3 (left stick click) | Command (Left), 0 | Fit image to window (Cmd+0) |
| R3 (right stick click) | Command (Left), 1 | Zoom to 100% (Cmd+1) |
| Left stick right | Mouse motion right (speed 20) | Move pointer right |
| Left stick left | Mouse motion left (speed 20) | Move pointer left |
| Left stick down | Mouse motion down (speed 14) | Move pointer down |
| Left stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 14) | Move pointer up |
| Right stick up | Scroll up | Scroll canvas up |
| Right stick down | Scroll down | Scroll canvas down |
| Right trigger | Left click | Apply brush / paint stroke (left click) |
| Left trigger | Alt / Option (Left) | Hold Option (color pick / modifier) |
Button names follow the Xbox / PlayStation pair shown in the editor, so A / Cross is the bottom face button on either pad. On a Switch Pro Controller the bottom button is labeled B; the mapping still fires on position.
Questions
Why does this look like the Affinity Photo layout?
Because it starts there. Changing two rows' outputs to T and F gives it Publisher's frame tools.
Related
Completely free. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon. Open source on GitHub.
Updated